According to the survey, the frequency with which workers use AI varies. 30% said they "use it every day," 34% said they "use it several times a week," and 37% said they "don't use it at all." However, only those who use AI on a daily basis had a positive view of the impact of AI on job security. Those who use the service only a few times a week or less say that AI makes them feel more insecure about their job security. The same trend is even more pronounced among daily users, who are the only group to say that AI makes them optimistic about the overall job market.
"Even if AI replacement is not a reality in the near future, employees are concerned that AI will diminish the value of their expertise or change the jobs they have traditionally excelled at," Gartner vice president analyst Adam Plesett said in an email to CIO Dive.
Lack of policy and lack of training “Gap” between CIO and the field
Employees say that using AI saves them time and gives them confidence in their skills. However, a lack of formal AI use policies and inconsistent guidance on who should use the technology are holding back its use.
The technology employment market in July 2026 was patchy. Although the unemployment rate continued to decline, the demand for AI-savvy talent in the labor market increased as automation penetrated deeper into core jobs.
According to a survey by CNBC and SurveyMonkey, more than half of business owners do not have a formal AI policy. However, only a small number of organizations strongly opposed the use of AI or banned it completely.
According to Plesett, the lack of clarity in policies has led to distrust among employees. Employees often shy away from technology due to lack of proper implementation and training, and often feel that they are being held accountable for failures in tools and that AI is being forced onto them rather than as a partner.
"Distrust is a natural reaction to the current state of AI implementation in many organizations," Plesett said. "AI tools can appear confident even when their answers are wrong. Employees may not know what data the system is using or how it is making decisions."
J.P. Gounder, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, said in an email that while companies have invested heavily in AI, there is a wide gap between what chief information officers (CIOs) expect from their employees and what they actually do because employees receive little or no training on how to leverage AI in the workplace.
"Employers have been forcing employees to use AI tools without clearly explaining the benefits AI brings to the employees themselves and the pure benefits it brings to the company," Gounder said.
The strategy is to “stage-expand from low-risk operations”
Nick Patience, vice president and practice lead for AI platforms at The Futurum Group, a tech industry-focused research firm, said in an email that CIOs who start with lower-risk tasks -- tasks that employees are already familiar with, such as writing and research, and gradually expand their implementation -- will have greater success with implementation. Once employees become accustomed to these workflows, organizations can move toward riskier decision-making.
Depending on how management approaches the use of AI, employees can feel more at ease at work, with less fear that AI will negatively impact their work. Plesett said that many organizations are sending contradictory messages, such as "you can use AI, but not too much" and "pursue ROI, but don't tokenmaxx on AI."
"This is a completely new technology for them, and they are required to quickly find the right fit in terms of usage and value, while also managing their day-to-day tasks," says Preset.
